Saw Queens of the Stone Age last night in Chicago. Great show, catch the tour if you can. Very tight band live, I was surprised. If you like the new album (and I think it's brilliant) they play pretty much the whole thing mixed in with older songs.

I just got home from the Lucinda Williams show in downtown Baltimore. It was basically a large bar with about 300 people at the most. One word for her performance: fantastic! She has the lead guitar player from the Wall Flowers in her traveling band and he was out of this world.

That is probably the last big name act that I will go see except for The Stones, Bob Dylan, and Sir Paul (I will always go to see them if I can). I may go see Lucinda again too, but that really is it! I've seen most of the big names from the 60s and 70s and that is about where my interest stops. I might go see some smaller acts for the fun of it but I won't go out of my way to do it.

Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds at The Mann in Philly last night. Need I say more? Cave is God. I touched his hand.

Kurt Vile & The Violators -- Meh. Kind of muddy and unmemorable.

Nicole Atkins -- Impressive. Just her with a drummer and one wild guitar player, who played a 60's Kay hollowbody Barney Kessel electric. She used two mics, a handheld 'regular,' and one on a stand with heavy reverb, approaching the reverb mic at the end of long notes. Gonna look into her stuff.

Dylan was in such a smooth groove and his band was so tight it was absolutely mesmerizing. Certainly the best I've ever seen Bob. I snuck down to stage right, row six. Super. I saw Bob leaving the hall and getting on his bus. What a great night.

I've read that he's not playing guitar at his shows, but then I recently saw a picture of him playing. I guess it's an on/off thing. Saw him only once, 1980, when the Saved album came out. What happened with that? Is he still saved, or did he go back to being a Jewish secularist? Or is that one of the mysteries of the ages?

dickl wrote:I'd recommend 20,000 Days on Earth. A lot of it filmed along Brighton seafront. I have to say it makes Brighton look very cinematic.

There was a screening in NY recently, and Cave did a solo piano set. I couldn't go because my high school reunion was the same night! Arrrrggggghhhhh!

He doesn't live in Australia?

Try and catch it if you can, it's an interesting insight into the man (although I suspect he's only showing you want he wants you to see) and it has plenty of live performances.

He may well have a place in Australia but he's been in Brighton a while now. I believe he lives near the seafront and not far from Dave Gilmour (now that would be an unusual duo). Gary Moore used to live in the same area before he died and was reputed to drop in at this place on the blues jam nights before he died.

While I'm no Dylan expert I can say that he hasn't played any guitar in the last few times I've seen him. He usually plays piano and organ but this last time he played only on his Baby Grand (I suppose it was). And he played it beautifully! The mix at DAR Constitution Hall was so superb that every note from every instrument could be made out, and none overpowered any other. So when Dylan sat down at the piano you could really make out what he was playing. He stands front and center when he signs on many songs too. He is wonderful to see. Do it if you can (and want to) before too long. We never know how long a treasure like this will be with us. (He's playing five shows in NYC starting Friday night. Tickets are mostly sold out but you can probably get one on CL or even on the street. I'm half thinking of taking the train up one night to see him again.) Hint: If you go get caught up on his newer songs as he only does two or so songs from the 60s and only two from the 70s. Most of his set list if from his last few albums, which is fine with me since I love his most recent work.

I don't know what his spiritual beliefs are. I think one could interpret some of the songs from his 2012 album Tempest to be religious in meaning (or at least in double meaning). One great song from that album, which he plays in concert, is "Pay In Blood". I love it. While Dylan's meaning is obscured (obviously), I think certainly one analogy of the song is that Dylan pays for his sins in blood...but not his own...(JC?).

I'd love to see a Nick Cave solo piano concert. That's when he is best in my view.

Last edited by The Cracks on Fri Dec 12, 2014 10:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I'd like to see Dylan again. I almost did a few years ago, but ended up getting stuck going to some obligatory family function. I don't know know about NY, it's always such an expensive hassle just getting there and back.